Europa League and Conference League Draw: United, Spurs, Rangers and Chelsea Face Tough Tests
The draws for the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League and Conference League have been made, with several Premier League and Scottish Premiership sides facing challenging group-stage fixtures.
Manchester United are set for a reunion with their former manager, Jose Mourinho, who now leads Fenerbahçe in the Europa League. The Red Devils have been drawn in a group featuring Portuguese giants Porto, Greek side PAOK, and fellow Premier League contenders Rangers, alongside Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt, Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen, Dutch team Twente, and Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.
Rangers, meanwhile, will also face United in the group stage, as well as a trip to face Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur. The Scottish side's other opponents include Lyon, Olympiakos, Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise, Swedish team Malmo, Steaua Bucharest, and French outfit Nice.
Tottenham Hotspur's group is another tough one, featuring a clash with Mourinho's former side, AS Roma, as well as Dutch team AZ Alkmaar, Hungarian club Ferencváros, Azerbaijani side Qarabag, Turkish outfit Galatasaray, Swedish club Elfsborg, and German team Hoffenheim.
In the Europa Conference League, Chelsea will face a home tie against Irish side Shamrock Rovers, who will also face Welsh side The New Saints and Northern Irish club Larne in their group. Chelsea's other fixtures see them face Belgian team Gent, German club Heidenheim, Kazakh side Astana, Greek side Panathinaikos, and Armenian club Noah.
Hearts of Midlothian have been drawn against Danish club Copenhagen, German side Heidenheim, Cypriot side Omonia, Belgian team Cercle Brugge, Moldovan club Petrocub, and Belarusian side Dinamo Minsk.
The New Saints will travel to face Italian side Fiorentina and Greek giants Panathinaikos, alongside Swedish club Djurgården, Kazakh side Astana, Shamrock Rovers, and Slovenian side Celje.
Larne will face Gent, Norwegian club Molde, Slovenian side Olimpija, Shamrock Rovers, Swiss club St Gallen, and Dinamo Minsk.
New Format:
The Europa League and Conference League have undergone a format change this season, with the number of participating teams expanding from 32 to 36. This move has resulted in a new single league phase format, replacing the traditional group stage.
In the Europa League, every club is guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage matches against eight different opponents (four home games, four away). Conversely, in the Conference League, each side will face six different teams (three home games, three away).
The top eight teams in the league phase of both tournaments will automatically qualify for the knockout stages. Teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16. Teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the competition.
Key Dates:
The 2024/25 Europa League final will be held on May 21, 2025 at the Estadio de San Mamés in Bilbao, while the Conference League final is scheduled for May 28, 2025 at Stadion WrocÅaw in Poland.
The full fixture schedule for both competitions will be released on Saturday, August 31st.
